


More important than wealth

by tveckling



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood, Fluff, Gen, Growing Up, Júlia is a sweet potato who loves her cousin, Tybalt is possessive and thinks adults are annoying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 04:17:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5115467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tveckling/pseuds/tveckling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tybalt never actually wanted a younger sibling but his cousin only had to smile a single smile to capture his heart, and from then on he had a baby sister to cherish. No matter how many headaches they gave each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tybalt 4 years, Julia 4 months

**Author's Note:**

  * For [veronasowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/veronasowl/gifts).



> For the sparkle exchange. I actually have a few more parts of this that I'm going to write, so look forward to more chapters? At least two more.

The first time he saw the baby Tybalt thought she looked like a wrinkly potato, with that redness they had before they turned brown. He got slapped over the ears when he said as much, however, and the nurse chastised him for talking about his cousin in that way. When Juliet scrunched her face and yawned Tybalt giggled and patted her cheek, saying to himself that she was the cutest potato he’d seen.

In the following months Julia turned from a red, wrinkly potato to something more like a human, a development Tybalt followed with great interest. Even if the baby was too fond of screaming, in Tybalt’s apparently unwanted opinion, and far too often smelly enough to make him nauseous he had gotten fond of her. Watching her gurgle and doing funny faces to make her laugh had quickly become his favorite pastimes, but to his annoyance the adults were a constant, annoying presence. His solution to this problem, however, was simple; he would carry Julia somewhere no annoying adults were.

It hadn't been easy getting Julia out of her cradle and out of the nursery, what with their nurse always hanging around, but when she had been called to Tybalt’s aunt, the lady Capulet, Tybalt saw his chance. Julia didn't have anything against being picked up, gurgling at him and grabbing his hair with small, chubby hands. It didn't hurt, and it kept her happy and silent to chew on his hair so he didn't mind at all, even if his hair felt disgusting after she was done. Sneaking through the house was scary, and Tybalt half expected someone to start yelling at him for stealing the baby, but the few adults he met rushed past without noticing him, and his confidence grew each time it happened. Soon he was out of the house and made his way to the huge garden.

Tybalt giggled as he put down Julia on the ground. They were hiding behind a barrier of bushes and trees that completely covered them from searching eyes; Tybalt had used the place as a hiding spot many times when he was in trouble and hiding from the nurse. Julia patted the ground and looked in awe at her dirty hand. Tybalt smiled at her, feeling pride at showing his little cousin something new, but stopped her when she tried putting the dirty hand in her mouth. The nurse always said to never put dirty things in your mouth and that it could make you sick, and Tybalt didn't want Julia to get sick. She looked upset, however, and Tybalt tried making silly faces and tickling her to get her laughing again. He breathed out and started smiling when she apparently forgot her dirty hand and laughed in delight at his antics.

The time went by fast as Tybalt played with Julia, and it wasn't until Julia scrunched up her face and started crying, without Tybalt being able to stop it, that he decided it was time to go back in. After he picked Julia up he tried to shush her as he walked, the screaming giving him a headache now that it was directly next to his ear, but it still didn't work. By the time he walked through the outer doors he was in a really bad mood, and the shouting that met him didn't help. Servants ran from all around the house to surround him, and the nurse pushed her way to him seconds later, grabbing Julia from his arms and crushing them both to her chest. Tybalt’s loud protests didn't do anything to make her release him, but Julia’s increasingly loud screams did and the nurse hurriedly stood up. Julia was passed on to another servant, who was told to feed the baby, and then the nurse was crouching down again and looking Tybalt in the eyes.

“Where have you been? The whole household has been in a frenzy looking for you and Julia, what happened? You’re dirty all over, are you all right? Where did you go? Was someone with you? Did someone make you go with them?”

The questions were fired off quicker than Tybalt had time to answer, so he just glowered at the floor until the nurse’s silence told him he should answer. “I wanted to play with Julia, so we went out,” he muttered.

The nurse frowned and looked him over once more. “You’ve been for more than two hours. Are you telling me that you were the one who took Julia from her cradle, and no one else? You're not lying to me?”

Tybalt kicked at the floor. “I just wanted to play with her alone, okay. It was all fine until she started screaming, we had fun. It was much more funnier without you stupid adults around.”

The nurse looked at him for a moment, then sighed heavily and told the still gathered servants to return to their duties. When she rose she held Tybalt in a tight grip, and he couldn't do anything but follow her when she started walking. “You are going to be in deep trouble, young man, believe you me. When I tell your parents and the lord and lady what you did they’ll decide a fitting punishment for you. Until then you’ll be in your room, without dinner, so you can reflect on your behavior.”

Tybalt protested vehemently, but to no avail, and he glared the hardest he could as his bedroom door closed behind the nurse. Even if he was starting to dread what his parents and aunt and uncle would say he was refusing to think that he’d done something wrong, he thought as he threw himself on his bed. He’d had fun and Julia had had fun, so he’d did nothing wrong. It didn't matter what punishment he’d receive, he was already thinking about how he could do it again.


	2. Tybalt 13 years, Julia 9 years

Tybalt flinched as his latest dance instructor slammed the door behind her, leaving him shamed and alone. Yet another failure. What they said was right; Tybalt would never be anything but a shame in public gatherings, because which noble son couldn’t master even the easiest steps? This instructor had been the ninth in five years, and Tybalt had the feeling his aunt would be looking for a tenth soon.

He sat down on the floor with a heavy sigh, ignoring the voice in the back of his mind—sounding suspiciously like the nurse—admonishing him for dirtying his clothes and rubbed his face.

“Don’t listen to her, she’s just an old hag,” a sweet voice said from next to him. Tybalt barely avoided hitting himself in the face as he jumped, and his frown was as severe as he could make it when he looked at Julia, crouching easily on his right side. He pushed down his hurt pride at being sneaked upon, and focused on the more important thing.

“Where did you learn that sort of language? Point them out to me and I’ll wring their necks! How dare they, talk like that in the company of the house’s daughter-“

“I learned by listening to you and your friends,” Julia said and watched as Tybalt’s face dropped. She couldn’t help smiling at the dismay in Tybalt’s face, but she had the courtesy of hiding it behind her hands.

“Okay. Just… don’t use it again? Please? Forget that you ever heard it. For my sake, please?” Tybalt wasn’t above begging, and if Julia demanded a favor he’d do it too. Better that than repeating the time she had heard him say ‘fuck’ and ran around saying it to everyone for two weeks. Needless to say the adults hadn’t been pleased once they found out where she’d heard the word.

Julia chewed on her lip and thought with crossed arms. Tybalt could feel his anxiety rising with each passing moment and uncharitably wondered if she took her time on purpose. The girl had been getting more devious lately, although she still hid it from anyone but Tybalt.

“Mm, okay, fine,” she said finally and Tybalt breathed out. “I won’t say it when anyone else is around—“

“Don’t say it at all!”

” —but you’ll have to do something for me first!”

Tybalt looked heavenward and sighed. He had expected something like that. “Fine, I’ll do it, as long as you promise to stop repeating things I say.”

Julia giggled and hid her face behind her hands, peeking out between her fingers. “I can’t promise that! You’ll just have to stop using those bad words, Tybi.”

Tybalt scowled and poked her hard, making her swat at his fingers while giggling even harder. “Told you to stop calling me that. It’s a child’s nickname!”

“But you’re still a child, aren’t you? Nurse and mother say so.”

Tybalt crossed his arms and glared. “If you keep talking like that I won’t do whatever you want me to do.”

Julia gasped and sprung to her feet so she could better swat at Tybalt’s shoulder. “No fair! You promised! If I didn’t say ‘hag’ anymore you’d do something for me!”

“And you just said it again, so why should I?” Tybalt said victoriously, but his smirk disappeared at Julia’s pout. He had never been able to resist that pout, and she knew it, the little brat.

“That was the last time, I promise. So you’ll do it?”

Tybalt only managed to withstand the pout for a few seconds before he let out his breath and nodded. Julia beamed and hugged him, something Tybalt pretended he didn’t like but they both knew he did.

“So! I’m going to be your new instructor!” Julia announced happily. Tybalt blinked at her and she rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. “I’m going to be teaching you to dance, Tybi silly. I’ve watched and I know I will be a much better teacher than those old ha- women. We’ll have you dancing with all the pretty girls and boys in no time!”

Tybalt opened his mouth to respond but closed it soon again, unsure what exactly to answer. He knew he had to say something, however. “No, you can’t. I’ll- you’ve watched? Then you know what a hopeless klutz I am. I’m probably going to hurt you, stepping on you or kicking you or something. I don’t want that.”

Julia glared hard and Tybalt suddenly couldn’t meet her eyes. “You’re being stupid. I’ll teach you to dance, and then I’ll never say that word again. You promised. You. Promised.”

Tybalt sighed and rubbed his forehead—he felt a headache coming. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Gone was the glare as Julia grabbed Tybalt’s hand and swung it happily. “Yay, you said okay! It’s going to be so much fun, I know it!”

Tybalt only watched her wearily. He couldn’t imagine this ending well.

— 1 hour later —

“Are… you okay?” Tybalt asked hesitantly.

Julia forced a smile from where she was sitting and rubbing her leg, but Tybalt could still see the tears in her eyes. “I’m fine, just fine. I was just… taking a little break. That’s all.” Tybalt didn’t believe a word she said, which must have been visible in his face because Julia took a breath and jumped to her feet, all smiles and energy. “And that’s enough rest! Let’s start again, we’re almost there!”

Tybalt sighed and shook his head. “I’ve trampled you, kicked you, stomped on your feet, and I haven’t managed to do even that to the rhythm. You’ve worked hard, but I think we should stop now before you can’t even walk.”

“You’re talking silly again, stop it! I’ve got it, I know it. Just a little more,” she said and started chewing on her lip again as she studied Tybalt. It went on for an unnervingly long time and Tybalt was about to move or talk or do something, when Julia widened her eyes and squealed in delight. Tybalt jerked but didn’t have time to do anything before Julia bursted out, “I have it! I have it! I know what to do!

You know how you’re really good with a sword? Like, really, really super good?”

Tybalt shrugged, a little embarrassed. “I’m not that good,” he muttered.

Julia continued, firmly ignoring him. “Well, since you’re so good at that, you can be really good at this too! I mean, when you train and fight and do those movements for all those hours, it almost looks like dancing. So I think all you have to do it imagine you’re fighting! Or training. Whatever doesn’t hurt anyone, because it hurts to be hurt. But even if you’re training I guess you’re still training to hurt others, so maybe it’s not so good, but then it’s almost like dancing so if you’re really careful it should work,” she added thoughtfully.

“I... don't think it works like that,” Tybalt said carefully. He felt silly enough already, no way was he going to start doing swordsmanship training in the ballroom with Julia looking. 

Julia who was glaring at him again. “You are being stupid, stop it. Okay, you know your training, just... start doing it. Close your eyes and forget about me, okay?”

Tybalt hesitated for a long time, but eventually Julia’s puppy eyes couldn't be ignored and he closed his eyes with a sigh. His movements were stiffer and more awkward than he could remember, and when he did an awkward sweep with his imaginary sword Tybalt could practically hear his instructor yell at him. Taking a strengthening breath he took the starting position again and focused only on making the correct movement, moving into the next, and then the next. The familiar motions calmed him, and as he stepped, turned, stabbed, stepped, he forgot his surroundings. He felt light and unstoppable, like there wasn't a problem he couldn't face, and too soon he was done and stood panting. 

Julia looked at him with sparkling eyes. "That's it," she said and smiled big, a smile Tybalt automatically returned. "That's what I'm talking about. It's not dancing, but it's almost. It's so nice to watch; you're going to amaze everyone when you can dance with this sort of grace." Tybalt felt his cheeks flame up and he pretended he had to check his shoes so Julia couldn't see. If she did see she ignored it, however, and instead clapped once. "That's it for today! Now we know what to think about next time."

"Next time?" Tybalt asked weakly. 

"Next time. I think next Monday would fit, at this time." Julia paused and giggled, breaking the decesive appearance she had adopted and turning back into the young girl she was. "It's going to be so fun, you'll see, Tybi! We'll get you dancing, I just know it."

Tybalt sighed and refrained from answering. Julia was more stubborn than anyone else he knew, he'd only waste breath if he protested; easier for them both to simply comply with her. He watched Julia skip out of the ballroom and firmly ignored the small part of him that looked forward to next Monday.


End file.
